This promises to be a seriously inspiring and excellent event this weekend in downtown LA. Please check it out. The King's Roost will be running a home grain-milling demo at 2pm on Sunday. Plus, we're giving out coupons for free fresh-milled organic flour. See you there!

We're thrilled to announce the Eastside Food Swap, hosted by The Kings Roost with special guest, The True Spoon.

The Eastside food swap is a community event celebrating homemade, homegrown, and foraged foods. This event aims to bring cooks, bakers, gardeners, and foragers together to swap their edible creations, share stories, and develop new friendships.

This event is open to anyone who pre-registers through The King's Roost (in store or online) The only other requirement is that you bring something you made, grew, or foraged yourself. If you're bringing kids, please plan to supervise them. There is a $10 fee to participate.

Most importantly you’ll be bringing food to swap. All swap items must be homemade, homegrown, or foraged by you. Think preserves, baked goods, fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, condiments, marinades, and beverages. You can bring a bunch of one thing or multiples of a few different things; 10-20 swap items are suggested (bring as many as you may want to trade for and bring home). Keep in mind that swappers will be examining and picking up your goods, so be sure to package them in a way that protects the food and makes it clear the amounts you want to swap. When applicable, it is recommended that you include food allergy information. If your food swap item is delicious, let it be known by providing samples to the other swappers. Since swappers will be trading at will, attractive presentation and cute packaging is a great idea to make your products visually appealing.

All swap participants adhere to an honor code; they agree to using the highest cleanliness standards in their own kitchens and gardens to prepare their swap items.

Swap participants also must agree to the following terms before registering for the Eastside Swap. By participating in these events, you are acknowledging that the food items being traded are not necessarily prepared in commercial kitchens or spaces inspected by any Government agency. By participating in these events, you are also acknowledging that you will use the highest standards of safety and cleanliness in food preparation.

By participating in these events, you assume all liability; specifically, you agree to not hold liable food swap hosts, swap venue owners/providers or other swap participants.

This week I'm excited to bring you one of my favorite DIY projects-- SPROUTS. It's so easy and inexpensive to sprout grains, seeds, legumes, it doesn't take up much space, and the return on your effort is HUGE. Sprouts are densely packed with vitamins, minerals, trace elements, micro-nutrients, and all kinds of healthy stuff. They're versatile and delicious on salads and sandwiches, as garnishes or snacks.

You can use all sorts of containers to grow your sprouts-- jars, tubs, trays. I have lots of options in the shop if you want to get started. In this week's video, I show you how to use a simple stacking garden system, with draining trays and covers that double as soaking bins. It's efficient and effective and will require a space on your kitchen counter no bigger than a dinner plate.

Growing your own sprouts, wheat grass, and micro-greens is anywhere from 20-100 times less expensive than buying them in the store... not to mention, the ones you grow will be even fresher. Have a peek!

When you get right down to it, what the heck *IS* yogurt in the first place? Yogurt is milk that has been cultured with one or more strains of lactobacillus-- bacteria that eat sugar, turning it into lactic acid. That's where yogurt gets its tangy flavor.

Why would we want our milk full of bacteria? Good question.

Like a bunch of other fermented foods, yogurt contains beneficial probiotics. These tiny organisms live naturally in our gut, helping to break down our food and making nutrients bioavailable. They also crowd out the harmful bacteria, helping to maintain a healthy digestive track. Lacto-fermentation is a natural food preserver, and it's responsible for many of the delicious and nutritious foods we love, like cheese, pickles, beer, sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, kombucha, and even sourdough bread.

Making yogurt at home is fast and easy, and you end up with a pure product that contains none of the added sugar, corn syrup, flavors, colors, thickening agents, preservatives and chemicals that are often found in store-bought yogurt. All you need is milk and a starter culture-- which is about a half cup of your favorite yogurt to kick things off.

Warm your milk, add your cultures, and let nature do the rest. A yogurt fermenter makes your job even easier, maintaining a steady 95 -100 degrees F while your yogurt incubates. But even that is optional as long as you have a warm spot to let your yogurt get going. Watch this week's video to see just how easy it is to have homemade yogurt!

Here in Los Angeles, we’re in a severe 5-year drought. Watering your in-ground garden uses a lot of water, and might not be the most efficient use of this precious resource. When you have your own garden, it’s easy to waste water. Overwatering doesn't just use more than you need, it also washes away valuable nutrients in the soil. But under-watering can be just as bad! Have you ever had a great crop of veggies going strong, then lose it all because you got busy, you had a momentary lapse into forgetfulness, or an irrigation line broke? For people on the go, growing food can be a lot of work and a drain on water.Well, there’s a better way: aquaponics. If you’ve ever wanted to grow your own organic veggies but simple don’t have the space, water, time, or decent soil to work with, consider an aquaponics system. It's like hydroponics... plus fish to fertilize the water and feed your plants... which in turn clean the water for the fish. A very cool symbiotic system.

In this week’s DIY video, Roe introduces you to the King’s Roost aquaponics system. It’s a soil-free, environmentally-friendly, self-watering, low maintenance, water-sipping, super efficient, high-yield organic gardening system that not only gives you fresh chemical-free vegetables, but whose “by-product” is fresh, organic protein in the form of sustainably raised Tilapia! No more frozen tilapia that’s been shipped thousands of miles from an industrial farm in China where they have been fed who-knows-what.The video below covers all the basics of aquaponics. Stop by the store to learn more or to pick up your aquaponic supplies. We'll help you get started and and answer all your questions.

If you're into baking and haven't yet discovered the pure joy of cultivating your own yeast, you are in for a treat.

The commercial yeast you've been buying in stores is manufactured, processed, refined and dried out. You spend money on the stuff, when countless strains of feral yeast abound right in your own kitchen! All you need to do is lure those little organisms into a jar, keep them happy, and feed them. They'll reward you by creating tastier, healthier, vibrantly natural and flavorful baked goods... AND they'll save you a bit of dough (HA!) in the meantime.

You may even find that the loved ones in your life who suffer from wheat belly, gluten sensitivities and other grain-related maladies are better able to tolerate baked goods that are made with wild yeast instead of the commercial variety.

All you need to begin is a jar, some water, and a bit of flour. Watch the video below to learn how it all works... and pick up a secret shortcut with pineapple juice!

Catching and keeping yeast is an art form that becomes pretty addictive over time. Crazy as it may sound, you'll become attached to your little yeast colony, learning its idiosyncrasies and individual moods as you play with flavor, texture, rise time, and moisture levels. Let us know how your personal yeasty adventure is going... or stop into the Roost to get a jump start with some of our own starter anytime.

Valentine's Day doesn't have to suck! You don't need to shell out tons of money or hours of your precious time to make your honeylamb feel loved. You don't have to be the most artsy, crafty, inspired and inventive person on earth to make something from scratch that's romantic, sensual, and beautiful. Because today, as our Valentine gift to you we bring you one of our favorite secrets-- you can make your own bath bombs at home... in one night... for just a few bucks... with stuff you find at the grocery store and around the house.

Just watch the video below to get all the details. You'll need baking soda, corn starch, citric acid, epsom salts, oil, and water. THAT'S IT. Forget expensive soap molds. You can use pretty much anything you have lying around to shape your luscious bath bombs: muffin tins, plastic Easter Eggs or Christmas ornaments, cookie cutters, you name it. Roe shows you how to slice a tennis ball in half for the perfect spherical mold.

In this demonstration, we made our favorite flavor-- orange creamsicle, using orange and vanilla essential oils. Smells so good, you'll want to gobble it up. We also added fresh oat flour for extra soothing relaxation. But you can go nuts trying various flavors and combinations of your own, adding spices, colors, decorative touches. Present your bombs in cute baskets, egg cartons, bowls, or bags. Be sure to seal and protect them so the moisture in the air doesn't destroy their fizzy powers before they hit the bath water.

This Valentine's Day, have a blast making bath bombs and spoiling your sugarpie without breaking the bank or resorting to commercialism and clichés. And from all of us at the King's Roost, WE LOVE YOU, TOO!

As they say, it's the thought that counts. So who are you thinking about this Valentine's Day? When looking for thoughtful ideas for your sweetheart, look no further than the Roost. We have unique, creative gifts at every price range. Below are five of our favorites to get you thinking of ideas. Need more inspiration? Come in and check out the shop!

# 1: AQUADORABLE MINI-AQUAPONIC SYSTEM

With a tiny footprint and no need for a power supply, this super sweet little symbiotic fish-and-plant set-up can go anyplace. You can grow herbs, flowers, even lettuce in it. A cute little betta or goldfish feeds the plants; the plants pull nitrates and ammonia out of the water, reducing water changes and eliminating the need for a traditional filter. We have a variety of colors, designs, and sizes to choose from, starting at $39.95.

#2: HOMEMADE ORGANIC SOAP

We have tons of flavors of our own, handmade soap. We use only the purest natural ingredients. Buy a sweet-smelling bar for your honeypie. Or create a sampler pack of your favorite flavors. Or grab our recipe and supplies to make your own from scratch! $4.75 per bar.

#3: SPROUT GARDEN

This complete sprout starter kit comes with everything you need to grow a three-tiered sprout garden in less than a week. In a few days, you'll have a bumper crop variety of fresh, organic sprouts, and all you need to do is add water and follow the directions. You can use and re-use it over and over-- grow sprouted grains, wheat grass, seeds, and beans like lentils, mung and adzuki! $27.95

#4: MUSHROOM FARM

Honestly, what could be more romantic than the gift of homegrown pink oyster mushrooms? This little kit says "I LOVE YOU" in its own unique way, with a bamboo roll of toilet paper and a sexy pack of mushroom spawn to grow your own little mushroom garden. Other mushroom varieties (even glow in the dark ones) and farms also available! $24.95

#5: SUCCULENT PLANTER

Why give flowers when you can give a stunning living plant that will last for years? We have countless varieties of succulent plants, artfully arranged in one-of-a-kind pots, bowls and planters. No plastic nursery cups here-- every plant is in a beautiful container. These guys are easy to grow and maintain. Even if your love has a black thumb, he can keep one of these alive. If not, we'll replace it for free! Starting at $4 each.

No matter how you celebrate this Valentine's Day, hope it's full of love and laughs. And check out our blog and youtube channel on DIY Tuesday this week for even MORE gift ideas you can create yourself.

Author

I'm Roe. I opened the King's Roost because I'm fanatical about making as many of the things my family eats and uses on a daily basis as possible. It FEELS GOOD to make stuff... and eat it... and use it... and SHARE it. My mission: I want what I'm passionate about to be easy and fun for everyone.